[Dave in NY]

I recently bought a 4 1/2" grinder from HF. This Warrior brand is their lower grade of power tools. There is also a mid and top grade in the power tool line up. This particular grinder was one of the better offerings in the cheap grade. It was on sale, so I thought I'd take a chance on it. It is rated at 5 amps so that's not terribly powerful, but it does seem to cut through gauge metal with a 1/16" cut-off wheel pretty well. I have a Clarke rated at 8 amps and a Porter Cable rated at 7 1/2 amps that I am using for the heavier work. I got tired of stopping to change between grinding wheels, cut-off wheels, flap disks, etc. So, for what I have used this lower grade grinder for it has worked well. The switch could be a tiny bit more ergonomic but for the $14.99 I paid for it I can't complain very much. I am tempted to pick up another one of these little grinders and set it up with a wire cup brush. Yeah I know! You buy a cheap tool, you have a cheap tool! Time will tell me if I was dumb or smart.

 

[kmar]

You can never have too many grinders set up. I always have at least 3 with different set-ups! Same with rechargeable drills/drivers.

 

[Frugal_Tinkerer]

I recently bought a 4 1/2" grinder from HF. This Warrior brand is their lower grade of power tools. There is also a mid and top grade in the power tool line up. This particular grinder was one of the better offerings in the cheap grade. It was on sale, so I thought I'd take a chance on it. It is rated at 5 amps so that's not terribly powerful, but it does seem to cut through gauge metal with a 1/16" cut-off wheel pretty well. I have a Clarke rated at 8 amps and a Porter Cable rated at 7 1/2 amps that I am using for the heavier work. I got tired of stopping to change between grinding wheels, cut-off wheels, flap disks, etc. So, for what I have used this lower grade grinder for it has worked well. The switch could be a tiny bit more ergonomic but for the $14.99 I paid for it I can't complain very much. I am tempted to pick up another one of these little grinders and set it up with a wire cup brush. Yeah I know! You buy a cheap tool, you have a cheap tool! Time will tell me if I was dumb or smart. View attachment 420916 View attachment 420917

Honestly, nothing is wrong with those cheap grinders. I got one for 75% off because it was a factory defect. The bottom retaining nut thing was miss-shaped and all I had to do was flip it upside down. The problem with them is usually they have no features and they aren't exactly very powerful. Otherwise, yeah, I'd say a cheap grinder is never a bad purchase.

 

[DennyIN]

I have two, one to use and one as a cheap spare. When I bought the first one the cashier wanted to sell me an extended warranty and I said no. He said it won't last it has nylon gears. I could tell he was pissed. I am a member and gave him my information so I could get credit for it for the short term warranty, I never received my electronic sales receipt. At the time it was like $10 and I ended up buying another for a spare for the $10. It has held up to everything I have thrown at it so far, flapper disc and cut off wheel. .

 

[Frugal_Tinkerer]

I have two, one to use and one as a cheap spare. When I bought the first one the cashier wanted to sell me an extended warranty and I said no. He said it won't last it has nylon gears. I could tell he was pissed. I am a member and gave him my information so I could get credit for it for the short term warranty, I never received my electronic sales receipt. At the time it was like $10 and I ended up buying another for a spare for the $10. It has held up to everything I have thrown at it so far, flapper disc and cut off wheel. .

"It has held up well..."
Well yeah but it still doesn't mean it still is going to power through anything.

 

[Dave in NY]

"It has held up well..."
Well yeah but it still doesn't mean it still is going to power through anything.

I can pretty much tell just by feel while using it that this grinder doesn't have unlimited torque available. I imagine that I could make the magic smoke escape from the motor if I got too aggressive with it. It should be ok for light to moderate work using cut-off discs. Pretty much why I bought it. It's not something I will use daily. The less you use something the longer it might last, right?

 

[Frugal_Tinkerer]

The less you use something the longer it might last, right?

It's funny to find people that still have these after 12 years and heavy use. Like, can you just get lucky and have a weirdly good one? I'm yet to kill a grinder yet but I haven't tried very hard, nor do I want to.
(EDIT) Also I haven't brought out any magic smoke yet, but my dad got the brushes so hot on his little Bosch driver that they were glowing red. Yikes...
(DOUBLE EDIT) That was over a year ago and it's still going strong after I've beat the snot out of it.

 

[KennyP]

I've burnt up 2 of the HF ones. Use DeWalt 11 amp now!

 

[Ambush]

I have five grinders in use for various tasks. Grinding, wire brush, zip cut disc, flap disc and sanding disc. All quality grinders in different sizes and one being a Milwaukie cordless. I also have three or four El-cheapo's that quit for various reasons. Don't expect much out of them and you won't be disappointed.

 

[Dave in NY]

I have five grinders in use for various tasks. Grinding, wire brush, zip cut disc, flap disc and sanding disc. All quality grinders in different sizes and one being a Milwaukie cordless. I also have three or four El-cheapo's that quit for various reasons. Don't expect much out of them and you won't be disappointed.

Exactly! If I had wanted another heavier duty grinder I would have spent more than $14.99! I figure I'm pretty close to the break-even point on it now. I'm always on the lookout for deals on tools. If I had seen a smokin' deal on another Porter Cable, Milwaukee, etc. of better quality I probably would have bought one of those instead. This little guy just happened to be on sale when I was in the mood for an extra one.

 

[Ambush]

Cheap tools have their place and many times a person can buy a "one time use" tool and save a ton of money doing a job yourself.

You could buy a $20 grinder and a few cut off discs to cut some bar, pipe or sheet or get a shop to do it for a $100.

 

[secondtry]

When the 4-1/2 inch angle grinders first showed up on the market I was working in ship yards. One of those grinders would be good for about 2 days. When a guy who is accustom to using a 9 1/2 inch grinder that will trip a 20 amp breaker an attitude adjustment is necessary. Same thing with the cheep grinders. I was impressed with the small Metabo grinders but they were 3 times the price of the Black & Decker which was about 8 times the price of the Harbor Freight of the time.
Don

 

[Dave in NY]

Just for poops and grins maybe I'll grab one of chespest grinders from HF and see just how well and how long it tolerates my normal routine before it gives up. I think on sale they go for $9.99. HFs most expensive corded 4 1/2" grinder right now is $69.95 rated at 11 amps. and another for $59.95 rated at 13 amps. I wonder how well the top end models perform? Comparable with Milwaukee , DeWalt about the same price?

 

[Frugal_Tinkerer]

Just for poops and grins maybe I'll grab one of chespest grinders from HF and see just how well and how long it tolerates my normal routine before it gives up. I think on sale they go for $9.99. HFs most expensive corded 4 1/2" grinder right now is $69.95 rated at 11 amps. and another for $59.95 rated at 13 amps. I wonder how well the top end models perform? Comparable with Milwaukee , DeWalt about the same price?

Let the games begin...

 

[boatmoter]

I have two, one to use and one as a cheap spare. When I bought the first one the cashier wanted to sell me an extended warranty and I said no. He said it won't last it has nylon gears. I could tell he was pissed. I am a member and gave him my information so I could get credit for it for the short term warranty, I never received my electronic sales receipt. At the time it was like $10 and I ended up buying another for a spare for the $10. It has held up to everything I have thrown at it so far, flapper disc and cut off wheel. .

I have 2 of em also. been working for me for over 5 yrs. but,if I used them everyday to make a living I would buy better quality. I don't think these would last too long using them for long periods at a time and everyday,they work great for me. if one takes a dump,just buy another cheapie

 

[Georgia317]

I've gone through two of them so far. About 15 minutes use out of each. But for as long as they last, they do get the job done. I'll buy another for the next "dirty" job I have but as with all things Harbor Freight, I don't expect too much for $20 bucks and I'm never disappointed. I also bought a similar but larger buffer to buff out my boat. It went up in smoke about halfway through the job. HF is great for those "get it done cheap" jobs. I just wish there was a law that China had to take all of this crap back rather than filling our landfills. If you ever wonder what's in all of those containers going by on trucks and trains, it's likely HF tools. I'm being a little bit silly. Maybe not.

 

[Georgia317]

Just for poops and grins maybe I'll grab one of chespest grinders from HF and see just how well and how long it tolerates my normal routine before it gives up. I think on sale they go for $9.99. HFs most expensive corded 4 1/2" grinder right now is $69.95 rated at 11 amps. and another for $59.95 rated at 13 amps. I wonder how well the top end models perform? Comparable with Milwaukee , DeWalt about the same price?

I don't believe "rated amps" is any indication of power and durability. (Actually, I know its not) In many cases, it's the opposite. A cheap electric motor will draw far more amps than a well-built motor will. Gearing, bearings, and winding insulation has more to do with the power and quality than an amp rating. In the case of HF electric tools, that number is virtually meaningless.

 

[firedudetl1]

just my 2 cents - I went to a yard sale and saw a Milwaukee grinder. asked how much, $10, asked does it work? sure, plug it in that extension cord... nothing ... asked the guy how much since it doesn't work? think I gave him $1, got home plugged it in a outlet I know works.... works! been using it for years
like others, if I need a tool "right now", local harbor freight.... other wise, I check yard sales and a couple of estate sale sites (maxsold, CTbids) and get tools from there... last good deal was an older DeWalt sliding 12 inch miter saw for $125
thought I'd contribute since it's Sunday and I'm here

 

[secondtry]

Went to a garage sale about 15 years ago and bought 6 Black & Decker 4 1/2 inch grinders for 25 cents each. None worked but I thought just the nuts and washers for attaching wheels would be worth the money. Got home and made 5 of them work. Still using 4.
What usually failed in heavy use in the ship yard was the gears. Considering that every one using one there was likely wearing welding gloves and couldn't feel when the grinder was getting hot their short life is not surprising.
Don

 

[Dave in NY]

Yep, there is a good clue. When whatever you are using starts getting hot it’s time to stop and give it a rest. It’s nice when you have another tool or two set up the same. Just plug in a different one and continue with the project, let the warm/hot one cool off.